A rundown of what's happening in statehouses

Published Feb 28, 2018 at 5:39 PM

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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent fires an H&K P2000 handgun during a qualification test at a shooting range on February 22, 2018 in Hidalgo, Texas.

State lawmakers across the U.S. are considering new laws in the wake of the Florida high school shooting, and legislatures from Maine to Alaska took action on Wednesday.

A rundown of what's happening in statehouses:

ALASKALawmakers were reviewing a bill that would let authorities temporarily take guns from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. While the bill has been pending for more than a year, its first hearing before the House Judiciary Committee was scheduled for Wednesday.

ILLINOISThe House approved a ban on bump stocks and voted to prohibit anyone younger than 21 from buying or possessing assault-style weapons. The Democratic-sponsored measures were among a group of gun control bills getting floor votes.

NEW JERSEYLawmakers advanced a half-dozen measures to tighten the state's already-strict gun laws. The bills include one to require the seizure of firearms when a mental health professional determines someone poses a threat and another to require background checks for private gun sales.

NEW YORKRepublicans in the state Senate blocked an effort by Democrats to force a vote on four gun control bills. The bills would have strengthened the state's background check system and set aside state funding for research into firearm violence. Others would have banned bump stocks and created a new protection order to bar people considered to be a danger to themselves or others from possessing guns.

MAINEThe Legislative Council approved a "red flag" bill allowing police to temporarily confiscate guns of those deemed to be a danger, a bill aimed at raising awareness of those who could pose a danger and one authorizing borrowing for school security. The approvals mean lawmakers will debate the bills in the coming weeks. Lawmakers rejected bills aimed at banning high-capacity magazines and bump stocks.

VERMONTThe Vermont Senate unanimously approved a proposal that would allow police to take firearms and explosives from people judged to be an extreme risk to themselves or others. Under the proposal, a police officer would need to get an order from a judge before seizing any firearms.